Survivors
by RetroidRogue
Summary: Gaming's greatest survivalists are thrown into a strange world where they must struggle for survival once more. Contains major spoilers for the Evil Within and Silent Hill 3 as well as minor spoilers for Alien: Isolation, the Last of Us, and Metro: Last Light. Rated M for blood and gore, adult situations and humor, frequent coarse language, drug references, and suggestive themes.
1. Deep Space

**Survivors, Chapter One**

Her bones ached like hell, her head still throbbing and ears still ringing as she struggled to stand. It would have felt so nice to rest, to give up and die, but she needed to make sure the others were safe after such a blast. A cold table granted her much needed support as she scanned the room with weary eyes.

Amanda Ripley found herself in a small medical facility within one of Sevastopol's security stations. The lights were dim, one bulb in the other room still flickering, but her eyes adjusted quickly. The room, nearest she could tell, was vacant, void of all other life. With a single exception.

Lying on a cot just a few yards away from her was Nina Taylor, a member of Amanda's crew who had been injured on the spacewalk over to Sevastopol. Silently praying the woman was alive, Amanda dragged her feet toward the cot, her muscles stiff and sore as she did her best to orient her uneasy mind. Stumbling as she arrived at the woman's side, Amanda did her best to gently shake her.

"Taylor? You awake?"

It took her a moment, but the woman slowly opened her eyes and groaned.

"Ripley? Is that you? Oh, my head hurts like crazy...what happened?"

"I don't know, but everyone's gone. Listen, I'm gonna..."

A loud yet distant thumping sound cut her sentence short.

"What was that? I didn't hear you," Taylor asked tiredly, rubbing her temples.

"Stay quiet," Amanda whispered urgently, easing the woman with a palm.

"Ripley, what's wrong?" Taylor inquired, suddenly nervous as she forced herself onto her elbows.

The dull thumping sound continued, playing over and over again, every time growing in volume. Amanda pressed a finger to her lips as she moved to a bedside window, staring into the dark room beyond as the thumping of the drum continued to draw closer. Soon enough, she heard the all-too-familiar sound of hissing followed quickly by a thick liquid slapping the floor and her fears were realized.

Trembling in both body and voice, Taylor crawled out of her cot, cowering behind Amanda as she took a good look through the window.

"What _is_ that?"

Amanda's voice was grave and unapologetic, "The alien."

As if summoned by the word, the tall, sleek figure stalked into their view through the window, its neck outstretched as saliva seeped from its hanging jaws. Every step it took shook the very air of the station. Ripley watched carefully as the creature overturned a desk to discover an animatronic rooster desk ornament. Clearly curious, the creature plucked at the moving object with a long, toothed tongue as if it were tasting the decoration.

"Follow me and keep quiet," Amanda whispered to Taylor as quietly as she could. The frightened woman only nodded in response.

Crouched in a horribly uncomfortable position that set her legs on fire but kept her out of sight, Amanda led Taylor over to a door and into the same room as the alien. The odd sound of metal bursting froze the very air as the hulking figure in the middle of the room snapped to attention before stomping around a cubicle, toward the source of the sound and away from the women. Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Amanda quickly but quietly led Taylor out of the police department and away from the creature. A few long moments passed before they could no longer hear the alien's thunderous footsteps and rummaging through desks.

"Hold on, Ripley," Taylor breathed, slowing her pace as she leaned against an awkwardly placed table. "The drugs are still wearing off."

Amanda, a few yards ahead of her comrade, slowed her own pace, sighing as she turned to face the woman, "Alright, we'll rest, but only for a moment. I don't want that _thing_ catching up with us."

Taylor nodded, suppressing a cough as she leaned more of her weight against the table. A few moments of silence passed as Taylor took deep, easy breaths and Ripley utilized her portable motion tracker to inspect their immediate surroundings.

"How do you do it?" Taylor inquired suddenly, snapping Amanda back to attention. "This whole 'fighting for your life' thing, I mean."

Ripley smiled softly at the question, shaking her head as she returned her gaze to her tracker, "I'm no survivor. Our circumstances are simply...dire. And I pulled the short straw."

"But I would _never_ have been able to do what you've done. Going down, into that facility to fetch _my_ medication when you _knew_ that that thing was already down there..._that_ took courage," Taylor explained awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

Amanda offered a simple smile and a glance, "You're welcome."

The device in her hand roared to life as a dot began to approach them on the miniature radar.

"Ripley, what's that?" Taylor asked nervously.

"Taylor, hide under the table," Amanda spoke quickly, shaking ever so slightly.

Taylor opened her mouth to ask something more, thought better of it, and ducked under the table as instructed. Ripley lowered herself to a knee as she slid into cover behind a cabinet, a revolver in her hand.

Upon spotting the weapon, Taylor exclaimed impulsively, "Ripley!"

Amanda silenced her with a finger and an aggravated look.

Further down the hallway, a door slid open and a man in a peculiar power suit stomped through, a holographic image of static hovering before his face.

"Daina? Daina?! Are you there?! Can you hear me?! God damn it!" the man growled angrily at the holographic projection before it switched off. "This better be the right fucking way."

Amanda watched carefully as the man continued down the hall, a small weapon with laser sights and a flashlight attachment in his hand.

A deep bellowing rippled the air and Amanda's eyes opened wide as the alien creature slid down, out of the ceiling behind the man. Startled, he pivoted, raising his makeshift weapon as the creature rose to tower over him with its teeth bared menacingly. Plasma seared through the air as the man pulled the trigger. A green gash was torn in the creature's shoulder before it screeched an earsplitting scream and steam sizzled into the air. Quicker than any human reflex, the alien pounced back up, into the ventilation shaft from which it had arrived as the man fired a second shot but missed.

Lowering his weapon as the alien's tail slithered into the ceiling behind it, the man took a deep breath, "The fuck was that thing?"

"You beat it!"

Amanda turned to see that Taylor was standing out in the open, a smile on her face.

The man turned to face her quickly before sighing with relief. As he started toward her, his helmet retracted itself into a device on his back. Once he reached her, he stretched an open hand out casually, "I'm Isaac. Isaac Clarke."

Amanda watched the two but stayed hidden, her revolver ready should anything go wrong.

"Nina Taylor," she responded happily, shaking his hand. "And my friend over there is Amanda Ripley."

With a disgruntled sigh, Amanda rolled her eyes before stepping out of her hiding spot and into the light. Isaac eyed her curiously, a slight smirk on his face as he greeted her with a nod.

"She likes to keep to herself, so if she doesn't say much, don't take it personally," Taylor explained quickly.

"Well, it's good to meet both of you. Where are you two headed? Maybe we could help one another?" Isaac offered.

"That'd be splendid!" Taylor smiled.

"We're just trying to get out of here, find the rest of our crew. What about you?" Amanda responded slowly, choosing her words carefully.

"I'm trying to find my way to the Cassini Towers. I have a, uh...a friend waiting for me there. You two are welcome to tag along if you'd like," Isaac answered.

Amanda narrowed her eyes, thinking over his words carefully as Taylor exclaimed happily, "We'd love to! Strength in numbers and all that!"

"Great!" Isaac smiled uneasily, somehow offset by her ecstasy. "The towers are this way."

As Isaac continued across the hallway, Amanda grasped Taylor's arm, pulling the woman close as she whispered, "Next time, can you let me do the talking?"

"Why?" Taylor questioned, genuinely confused. "Everything went just fine."

Amanda glanced at Isaac, who had his back turned to them, before replying, "We got lucky, Taylor. There are bad people on Sevastopol. People we can't trust."

At that moment, Isaac arrived at a door and turned to face them, his helmet back on, "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing to worry about," Taylor assured him before pulling herself free of Amanda's loose grip and walking his way.

"Just be careful," Amanda uttered to her, though she wasn't sure Taylor was even listening. When the woman didn't respond, Ripley sighed and followed her.

Taylor passed Isaac, stepping into the next hallway while Isaac waited for Amanda. Upon her arrival at the doorway, he spoke, "I understand that it can be hard to trust a stranger, especially nowadays, so I want you to know that you're free to leave whenever you'd like."

"Thanks, but I promised Samuels I'd keep Taylor safe," Amanda replied drily. "Wherever she goes, I go."

With that, Ripley followed her ally as Isaac watched her for a moment before following, quickly making his way to the front of the group. As Clarke led them down the hallway, Amanda eyed the elaborate suit he was wearing, especially the device on his back that appeared to have a glowing spine over top his own.

"What _is _that weapon you're carrying, anyway?" Taylor asked, breaking the silence.

"What? This? It's just a plasma cutter, standard issue. I'm an engineer, tier 4, so I always carry one with me," Isaac explained.

_ Pretty fancy for a standard issue cutter_, Amanda thought to herself.

"Ripley, do you have a cutter like that?" Taylor wanted to know.

"You're an engineer?" Isaac asked quickly, turning his head.

"Yes, I am. But no, my plasma torch is short-range," Amanda explained.

"Oh, yeah, the old Mark I's. I remember those days," Isaac chuckled, shaking his head. "God, I feel old."

Without warning, a vent before them burst under the weight and sheer force of a withered, lanky creature with blades for arms.

"Shit! Get back!" Isaac shouted, raising his weapon.

The creature twisted its head at an impossible angle, long sharp teeth bared and colorless eyes void of emotion, even aggression. Somehow, its crackling body and contorting flesh looked human. Its hair clung to its cranium with grease as loose trousers threatened to slide off of its skeletal hips.

"What _is_ that thing?!" Taylor cried, moving to hide behind Amanda, who was readying her revolver.

Isaac fired his weapon, the super-heated discharge slicing straight through the creature's bony arms, severing the limb. Still twitching with life, the arm hit the floor with a thud as the creature stumbled from the sheer force of the blast, blood squirting out of its stump and onto the floor and wall. Within seconds, another, similarly structured, albeit better clothed, creature dropped out of a hole in the ceiling behind Taylor and Amanda. The first one rushed Isaac as Amanda pulled Taylor back, behind her, firing her revolver. The bullet struck the creature's chest but the beast did not falter as it rushed her.

A single blade scraped Isaac's shoulder plating, nearly cutting into the padding, and he cracked his plasma cutter against the side of the creature's skull. Bone crackled as the creature stumbled furiously and Isaac turned to watch the second monster lash out at Amanda, who caught its arms and struggled to force it away. Isaac fired his cutter, the plasma crackling through one of the creature's arms, the sudden loss of force throwing Amanda off balance. The monster thrashed wildly, throwing her to the floor. It readied its blade but Isaac shot its other arm off as well. Once again, the creature refused to surrender as it dropped itself on top of Amanda, who used her arms to keep its vicious jaws away from her throat.

Taylor, between Isaac and Amanda, found herself petrified, unsure of where to go or what to do as the first creature came back to Isaac, pulling him into an awkward, one-armed embrace before tearing its teeth into his shoulder. Using as much of his strength as he could muster, Isaac forced the creature away before grabbing its arm and slicing the blade off with his cutter. He then forced the sharpened bone through the creature's eyeball, spraying himself with blood before kicking it onto its back.

Amanda forced the creature far enough away for her to slide a leg between their bodies, kicking the creature off of her forcefully. Unhooking her maintenance jack from her utility belt as the beast attempted to stand, Amanda cracked its jaw before splattering its brains against the floor. The mutilated beast writhed and squirmed but, armless and headless, was unable to stand.

With his metal boot, Isaac finished the other creature in a similar fashion.

Between gasps for air, Amanda demanded, "What...were those..._things_?"

Taylor watched the squirming corpses in horror as Isaac responded, clearly uneasy as he scanned their surroundings, "Necromorphs. They're everywhere."

"Then why...haven't we seen any...before now?" Amanda questioned tiredly.

"I could ask the same of your alien buddy back there," Isaac countered. "Look, if we run into any more necromorphs, know that you can't kill them, but you _can _render them harmless."

Amanda looked from Isaac to his plasma cutter, then back to him, "You...wouldn't happen to have any more of those torches...would you?"

"I do, but not on me," Isaac answered apologetically. "Sorry."

Large feet pounded the metal floor behind them as the alien rounded a corner, screeching at the sight of the trio.

"Oh, no," Amanda breathed, moving to stand behind Isaac.

The creature screamed once more as Isaac raised his weapon. With surprising speed, the massive creature lurched forward, bending its spine as if to make itself a smaller target. Isaac pulled his weapon's trigger and heard a click.

"Shit! Run!"

Acting on impulse, Amanda firmly grasped Taylor's wrist before turning and sprinting down the hallway. His currently loaded magazine empty, Isaac raised his hand, a small meter on his back depleting as a deep blue energy shot out of his palm. The substance, neither solid nor gaseous, collided with the alien, engulfing its jet black exterior with an odd blue film. Slowing substantially, the creature moved as if it were in a slow motion cinematic. Quickly loading a new magazine into his cutter, Isaac turned and raced after his new allies.

The trio rounded a corner to find themselves in a large room, filled with old-fashioned computer monitors, that faced an even larger window. Through the window, they could see Saturn, a massive gas giant against a black background sprinkled with white powder. But the moment Amanda saw the planet, she knew something was very wrong. A large patch of gray was stitched into the giant's atmosphere like a bruise. It was unlike any storm she had ever seen, though she was no meteorologist.

"There! Escape pods!" Taylor exclaimed suddenly, pointing a finger to an enclosed area across the room from them.

"Oh, thank God!" Amanda gasped as she led her comrades toward the sealed area.

Steadily, they heard the thunderous footsteps begin to speed up behind them.

Amanda was the first to arrive at the door but pounded it with her first in frustration, "Oh, come on! Stand back, I'll need to cut it open."

Lowering herself to a knee, Amanda pulled her plasma torch from her utility belt, pulling the trigger to ignite the nozzle. The metal door burned easily, but it would take time to carve a sizable hole.

"Hurry, Ripley!" Taylor cried, frightened.

"I am," Amanda responded, annoyed.

A door on the left side of the room was blown open with an explosive charge, a group of seven security officers in blue armor rushing through, firing at something behind them. Isaac recognized one of their faces.

"Daina!" he called out, moving toward the group.

A blonde woman turned, startled, "Isaac?! Oh, thank God you're safe! Listen, there's no time to explain, we...!"

Daina was interrupted by the screech of the alien as it rounded the corner across the room.

"Oh, shit! Get back!" Daina shouted over the sounds of chaos as she raised her pulse rifle. Her bullets did nothing to the alien's hide as it rushed forward, swinging its pelvis to plunge its needle-tipped tail through Daina's heart.

"Daina!" Isaac cried, taking several steps back as the creature flicked its tail, tossing the dying woman against the window and cracking her bones.

The alien screeched once more as it turned to face Isaac. One of the other security officers turned, firing up at the creature and capturing its attention. Enraged, the alien lunged at him, throwing the two into a roll across the floor before standing over him, tearing its tongue into his face.

"Oh, fuck!" Isaac breathed, taking another step backward.

"Isaac!" Taylor shouted as Amanda forced the door open. "Over here! Hurry!"

With one glance at the officers, Isaac rushed toward them. Behind them, a slew of necromorphs swarmed into the room through the busted doorway, slaughtering the remaining security. Isaac took note of the fact that one of the corpses engaged the alien only to be ripped in half.

Amanda pressed a button on a terminal before a door slid open. Inside was a well-sized escape pod with six seats.

"Inside, hurry," Amanda demanded surprisingly calmly. Taylor and Isaac didn't hesitate to take their seats.

Amanda was the last one in, closing the door behind her before clamping herself into a third seat beside Taylor. She quickly dialed a few numbers into another terminal. A moment passed before the pod lurched to life, slowly sliding them out, away from the station.

"Where are we going?" Taylor inquired worriedly.

"Close enough for Verlaine to detect our distress signal," Amanda answered as the pod continued its gradual path.

White lights turned to red as the pod jerked suddenly, detaching them from the station. An arm swung, sending them spiraling toward the planet.

"What the fuck?" Isaac uttered, looking about the pod.

"Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick," Taylor moaned, her hand over her mouth.

"Why?! Why does this always happen?!" Amanda hissed.

A sleek black figure appeared in the pod's window, two sets of teeth leaking saliva like a rabid dog.

"Oh my God!" Amanda gasped.

The alien turned, crawling away from the window as the pod occupants felt gravity begin to set in, clouds appearing out the windows.

"God damn it!" Isaac growled.

Taylor vomited on herself and Ripley as their pod began to fall faster.

"Oh, gross!" Ripley gasped.

Isaac spotted trees out a window, "Is that _land_?!"

Everything was spinning, the windows flashing from green to orange to black to blue.

"Brace for impact!"

Rocks cracked the windows as dirt sprayed into the air and the pod rolled madly, throwing the occupants in every possible direction. Amanda's head was thrown backward, into the wall, knocking her unconscious.


	2. A Home for the Homeless

**Survivors, Chapter Two**

The air was numbingly cold despite the harsh rays of the sun and the heavy suit weighing him down. Snow and gravel crunched under his boots, leaving a trail of footprints that made it significantly easier for his partner, Anna, to track him through the scope of her sniper rifle.

Artyom's trek across the old highway, short as it was, was arduous and time-consuming, a brand new, thick layer of half-melted snow sucking on his boots and impeding his path.

He could not see the child, the last of the Dark Ones, but Artyom knew it was close, watching over him from a world invisible to the human eye.

"Artyom!" the child exclaimed with a disembodied voice that only the Russian could hear. "Quick! She's still breathing!"

The newly instated ranger moved as quickly as he was able to, clumsily sliding on the slush and vaulting over a car. Arriving on the sidewalk, Artyom spotted the woman laying face-first in the snow. Dropping to a knee as the Dark One appeared at his side, Artyom gently rolled the woman onto her back and checked his high-tech watch.

Speaking to both Anna via his radio and the Dark One, Artyom lowered his arm to feel the woman's vitals, "Miller was right, there's no radiation in this part of the city. Almost like there's a bubble. Regardless, she's going to freeze to death if we don't find her shelter soon."

"Does she have a Red Line symbol on her? Or Revolutionary, for that matter?" Anna inquired from her position atop an overpass.

"Not that I can tell," Artyom responded, briefly looking the unconscious woman over. "But she's wearing several layers of clothing, so it's hard to tell."

"Don't get any bright ideas, rabbit. Bring her back to the hole," Anna commanded him humorously.

"Roger," Artyom responded drily before clicking his radio off and hoisting the woman up, onto his shoulder.

"Artyom?" the Dark One spoke as the Russian began his trek back.

"Yes?"

"What's a 'rabbit'?"

"A small critter much like yourself, only not as smart and with much more hair."

"Why would Anna call you that?"

Artyom thought for a long moment before answering truthfully, "I don't know, little one. I don't know."

Jodie Holmes' eyes opened to a blinding light that forced her to shield them with a hand. Surprisingly, she was not very sore, likely thanks to Aiden, her supernatural companion. Rolling her head to look around the room, she spotted a small boy at her bedside who was watching her curiously. Upon meeting Jodie's gaze, the young boy turned, running over to a young maid on the other side of the room. Silently, the boy caught the girl's attention with a hand and pointed at Jodie, who sat up in her bed. The maid, likely still a teen, told the boy something in Russian before he darted out of the room. A large basin of water and a washcloth in her hands, the maid stepped over to Jodie's bedside, placing the items down on a small table. As the girl prepared the rag, she said something in Russian.

"Where am I?" was Jodie's first question.

The maid froze half-way through wringing the washcloth out before dropping it into the water and asking Jodie a question in the foreign language.

"I-I don't understand what you're saying," Jodie stuttered apologetically, shaking her head slowly. "D-do you speak English?"

The girl spoke once more in Russian before the boy returned with Artyom at his side. The two approached the young women, Artyom engaging in a conversation with the maid. Once it was over, the girl left the room, shutting the door behind her. Artyom took a seat beside Jodie's bed, silent as he turned to face the boy, who stared at Jodie silently. An awkward moment passed before Artyom nodded, speaking a quick sentence in Russian to the boy. Suddenly embarrassed, the boy lowered his gaze as he stepped closer to Jodie, reaching a hand out to her.

"Don't...be...afraid..." Artyom spoke in a thick Russian accent, clearly having to concentrate to piece English sentences together. "We...help...you..."

Jodie nodded slowly, taking the child's hand with caution. A sudden, piercing headache struck her as the child's grip tightened about her hand, the lights flickering and shelves rumbling nearby.

A voice that Jodie had no control over began to speak within her head. And it wasn't Aiden's. It was a child's.

"Don't worry, the pain will fade," the childish voice spoke in a thick Russian accent. "My friend is Artyom. I am the Dark One. As Artyom said, we wish to help you. What is _your_ name?"

"Jodie," she answered nervously, her headache dying as she wiped blood away from her nose. Artyom offered her a tissue, which Jodie took gratefully, "Thank you. So, where am I? How'd you find me?"

"We're in Moscow, Russia. Or what's left of it," the voice explained. "We found you in the snow, freezing. We brought you in, where it's warm."

Unsure of what to do with her bloodied tissue, Jodie gently placed it on the beside table, "Moscow? How'd I...never mind. Thank you for your help."

"You're very welcome!" the voice spoke happily. "Artyom runs this place. You can stay, if you want. Though, I am curious. When I look at you, I see a certain...glow about you, one I've never seen before. Could you explain this to me?"

"It's...complicated..." Jodie mumbled, breaking eye contact with the boy but allowing him to continue holding her hand. Such a nice place to live...she couldn't afford for them to think she was crazy. Though, was it possible that this boy was "gifted" just like her?

Aiden spoke in Jodie's mind, expressing his concern about the child. The boy turned to look up at Artyom as if the man had said something. A moment later, Artyom shook his head. The child then looked about the room as if he was expecting to see someone else. But the trio was alone.

Except for Aiden.

"Aiden, say something," Jodie breathed.

Aiden questioned her, genuinely confused.

The boy turned to look at Jodie once more.

"You can hear Aiden, can't you?" Jodie muttered.

Artyom asked a question that ended with "Aiden", but the child didn't have the answer he was looking for.

Instead, Jodie forgot he knew little English and explained, "Aiden's a...friend. He's always with me, but no one can see or hear him except for me. Usually."

The child turned to Artyom, and a moment later, he nodded. He then asked Jodie a question, the child translating as he spoke, "Artyom wishes to ask you a question. Who do you work for?"

Jodie shook her head, lowering her gaze, "No one. I'm alone."

A troubled Anna threw the door open, rushing into the room shouting, "Artyom!"

"Anna!" the man exclaimed, startled. He stood as she said something in Russian. She left immediately, but Artyom told the child something more before following her.

"What was that all about?" a nervous Jodie wanted to know.

"There's an attack," the child explained uneasily. "Reds, I think. Artyom asked us to stay here."

Aiden looked about the room, freely expressing his opposition to the suggestion.

"Do not worry, Aiden," the child spoke to the entity through Jodie. "Artyom is strong. He will keep us safe."

Jodie offered a weak smile, "You really trust that man, don't you?"

"With my life," the child nodded proudly. "He's a good man."

Aiden refused to sway his standing, but Jodie was convinced, "No, Aiden. I'm tired of sleeping on the streets. We're staying here. For now."

Angrily, Aiden expressed his concern once more.

The child lowered his head, his eyelids drooping, "All this talk...it makes me tired...if you don't mind, Jodie, I'll rest now."

The boy released Jodie's hand, clambering up, into the chair in which Artyom had been sitting. As he leaned back, the image of the child dissolved like embers about a fire to reveal a small, skeletal, brown creature with humorously large green eyes. Mandibles made it look similar to an insect, yet long, thin limbs and fingers made it look human.

Jodie was startled, but she was far beyond the point of being surprised by unexpected events. Aiden made a rude remark as the creature closed its eyes and rested in its seat. Jodie disregarded the remark as she examined the being curiously. Was it alien? It certainly wasn't human, and she doubted it was some sort of entity. Perhaps Artyom would know?

Crawling out of her bed to stretch, Jodie released a yawn as she scanned the room. Aiden informed her of a fresh pair of clothes near where the maid had been when she first woke up. Suddenly aware of her lack of proper clothing, Jodie quickly slipped on the jacket and cargo pants. Taking a deep breath as she fiddled with her necklace, Jodie wandered about the room, examining every little detail in an attempt to pass the time. As she arrived back at the counter near the door, she heard heavy footsteps and Russian voices in the room beyond. Had Artyom returned already?

The door was thrown open a second time, two unfamiliar Russians in thuggish uniforms darting into the room, fully-automatic assault rifles at the ready. Startled, the Dark One scrambled under the bed, one of the soldiers shouting at the creature harshly. The second one turned to Jodie, pointing his rifle at her. Frightened, the former CIA operative backed away slowly, her hands high in the air.

Before the hostiles could take a step toward either of them, Aiden forced a cabinet door open, spilling glass, needles, and other medical equipment onto the men. Confused, they raised their arms to protect themselves, shouting and stumbling. Jodie moved quickly, taking hold of the closer soldier's rifle before smashing her elbow into his face. The man was thrown against the counter before his ally stepped forward, aiming his rifle at the woman. A lower cabinet shot open, smacking his knee into an awkward position. Instinctively, Jodie used the butt of her new weapon to slam the hostile's face into the counter. As the second man fell, the first man rushed Jodie with a knife. She quickly turned her gun to crack the side of his head, slamming his ribcage into the counter before cracking his head into the tabletop. He, too, slumped to the floor.

Jodie lowered herself to a knee, looting the unconscious Russians as the Dark One appeared beside her. The child reached out to grab her hand, stuttering its question, "A-are they dead..?"

"No, I didn't hit them _that_ hard," Jodie assured the Dark One with a weak smile, squeezing its hand carefully.

"Good. I don't like it when people kill each other," the child stated awkwardly, eying the men.

"Neither do I," Jodie breathed before pulling her hand away to go back to looting the uniforms. "Aiden, watch for more. I think Artyom could use some help."

Equipping herself with a bullet-proof vest, a semi-automatic pistol, and two full clips of ammunition, Jodie moved toward the door, taking a peek into the hallway for herself. Aiden sighed, assuring her that there was no life in the area except for rats.

The Dark One rushed to be in front of her, waving for her to follow as it half-crawled, half-walked down the hallway. Figuring the child knew its way about the station better than her or Aiden, she hurried after the creature. The Dark One led her down the hallway, through an abandoned market, through a short air duct, across a vacant railway, and into a room with a couple of corpses.

Aiden questioned the child's sense of direction as Jodie slowed, raising a hand as she spoke to the Dark One, "Hold on a sec."

The creature skidded to a stop, turning to watch her curiously as she dropped to a knee beside one of the corpses, lightly placing her hand against the man's chest. The corpse was fresh, the distinct sent of decay not having set in just yet.

Aiden pushed the rest of the corpse's spiritual energy into Jodie's mind. Her head snapped back, a blink ridding her eye of all color as a vision of the past manifested herself about the room. The Dark One looked around in awe as two groups of men opened fire on one another. Among the soldiers were Artyom and Anna, who fought viciously. Anna took a bullet to the shoulder, Artyom rushing to her side before a hostile cracked him in the head with the butt of his gun. A third man surrendered, dropping his rifle. A group of thugs half-dragged, half-carried Artyom and Anna through a doorway as another Russian shot the surrendering man in the head, his corpse falling into place beside Jodie. A flash ended the vision, Jodie shaking her head to clear her mind as her eyes returned to normal.

Aiden informed her of the Dark One's taking off, and she looked up to watch the child hurry in the direction that the men had taken its allies in Jodie's vision.

"He saw that, too?" Jodie muttered, astounded, as she followed the child.

A lengthy pathway led them to a large, wide-open train station where a battalion of Red Line soldiers were herding prisoners onto specialized train cars equipped with machine guns. Instinctively, the Dark One dissipated into nothing as Jodie dropped into cover within the tunnel's shadows. She felt an invisible hand touch hers as the child's voice played in her head, "I'm going to go find Artyom."

"No!" Jodie hissed quietly, groping for the hand. "It's too dangerous! Let Aiden take care of it!"

"Yeah, ok," the child muttered before pulling away.

Sighing with relief, Jodie peered over at the crowd. In her mind, she spoke to her companion, "Alright, Aiden, you know what to do."

Silently, Aiden moved upward, scanning the crowd of faces. As he moved closer, Jodie took a deep breath, raising her head as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Aiden's vision drowned out her own as the Dark One watched her curiously.

"Check the train," Jodie pushed her thoughts toward Aiden. "But hurry. I'm already feeling light-headed."

Aiden slid through the train's walls, quickly scanning each and every face he came across. Upon entering the second car, Jodie strained her mind, "There! That's them! Aiden, come back. Let's see if we can get them out of there."

As the entity started back, the Dark One took Jodie's hand, "What are we gonna do, Jodie?"

Aiden claimed he had an idea, altering his course as Jodie's eyes rolled back to their normal positions. Quickly wiping away a drop of blood that had formed in her nose, Jodie looked to see that the creature was holding her hand tightly, a frightened look in its eyes.

"Come on, little guy. Let's get closer to the train," Jodie assured him, stumbling toward the train. The stress of Aiden being so far away was starting to reach her muscles. She _had_ to get closer to him. Jodie slid into cover behind the train, the Dark One at her side.

On the opposite side of the train, Aiden moved up to a guard, embracing him and forcing his being into the man's mind. The Russian lowered his rifle and rubbed his temples as if a sudden migraine had fallen upon him. Void of any warning, his head snapped back and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Aiden subsequently found himself in control of a brand new body.

"No, Aiden!" Jodie gasped as she watched Aiden approach three other guards. "You'll make too much noise!"

Disregarding her condescending tone, Aiden pointed his rifle at the three guards, who were all focused on an unarmed couple that clearly wished to go on the train. He squeezed the trigger as tightly as he could, unloading half a magazine into the soldiers' backs. As the bodies fell, chaos ensued on the platform. Men and women shouted, children screamed and cried, and everyone ran in haphazard directions, some wishing to avoid the conflict, others attempting to reunite with loved ones.

"Aiden, behind you!" Jodie stressed as a guard rushed out of the train. The possessed guard pivoted, gunning the newcomer down.

As the gunfire continued in sporadic bursts, Jodie clambered up, into the train via an open window. Multiple unarmed civilians were hunkering down, terrified. Before Jodie could examine anyone, Artyom found her, Anna at his side. A hand grasped hers, and she turned to see that the Dark One had returned to its human child form.

"We've come to save you and Anna, Artyom," the child spoke through their minds. "Aiden distracted the guards for us. Quickly, we need to leave."

Artyom spoke worriedly in Russian, to which the child responded, "More guards are on their way. We'll have to come back for the others."

Jodie turned, vaulting out the same window she had come in through. Simultaneously, a sniper rushed onto the platform, shooting Aiden in the head, pushing his being out of the guard's body. Jodie screamed as the forceful wave shook her mind. Her foot slipped and she hit the concrete ground with a thud, another trickle of blood leaking out of her nose.

"Jodie!" Artyom exclaimed, jumping down to help her to her feet. The child and Anna followed him.

"I'm ok, thank you," Jodie spoke quickly, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

Anna said something in Russian and Artyom nodded before hurrying down the tunnel, the others at his heels. Jodie heard angry shouts behind them, but Aiden urged her to keep going, so she didn't look back.

Artyom guided them down the metro tunnel with a flashlight attached to his helmet. A hundred meters brought them to a small safe house that Anna had the keys for. Once they were all inside, she locked the door behind them.

Out of breath, Artyom found a chair to sit in while the Dark One wandered into another room. Anna sat at a coffee table beside Artyom and Jodie sat across from them. Clutching her left shoulder, where she had been shot, Anna rolled her arm about in its socket, clearly trying to wash the soreness away. Artyom said something quietly, and Anna looked at him, chuckling a little. She shook her head before standing to pace about the room, her focus still on her shoulder. Jodie looked at Artyom, who met her gaze with a tired sigh. She stood, patting him lightly on the shoulder before approaching Anna.

"You're Anna, right?" Jodie offered a weak smile.

Anna eyed her, an intimidating look about her as she nodded slowly.

"I'm Jodie, it's nice to meet you," she spoke, stretching out an open hand.

"What..do you want?" Anna questioned slowly, clearly not comfortable speaking English.

Jodie lowered her hand, surprised by the woman's bilingualism. Shaking her head, she continued, "Y-you're hurt. I can help you."

Anna shook her head, "No. I do not need...your help."

Artyom eyed the two curiously as Jodie insisted, "But you're hurt. Please, I only wish to help you."

She reached out to touch Anna's shoulder, but the woman shied away, a vicious look in her eye, "No! You can not help me!"

Aiden growled back, but Jodie was not so easily deterred, "Look, please just...trust me."

Artyom spoke up from his chair, saying something to Anna in Russian. This caught the woman's attention. The Russian eyed the man before glaring at Jodie, who did her best to smile. Lowering her gaze, Anna motioned with her head for Jodie to follow her. On the other side of the room, Anna sat down in a chair, removing her jacket to reveal the bullet wound in her shoulder. Resting her arm on a counter, she eyed Jodie, her face aggravated but eyes worried. Jodie kneeled awkwardly before the woman, gently placing her hand against the wound. Anna flinched at first but bared her teeth and stayed still. Aiden expressed his concern, but Jodie refused to listen. Giving up, the entity pushed part of Jodie's spiritual force into the wound. The bruised skin lost its unnatural pigmentation, torn skin threaded itself like a sewing machine, and growing tissue pushed the bullet out, onto the counter.

Artyom stood, walking over to them as Anna's eyes widened, a smile gradually stretching across her face, "Wow! H-how did you...?"

"I'm...gifted," Jodie shrugged happily.

Anna turned her head, staring into Jodie's eyes, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jodie smiled.

Once their eyes truly met, Jodie knew something was wrong. Anna's eccentric smile accurately reflected the gleam of genuine gratitude in her eyes, but deeper within her, something stirred. Aiden felt it, and so did Jodie. A second emotion was threatening to show in Anna's eyes, but she fought to keep it hidden.

It was an emotion that Jodie couldn't quite pinpoint, but she knew it was there.

And neither Jodie nor Aiden liked it.


	3. Insecurity

**Survivors, Chapter Three**

Lara Croft pulled the bow string back to brush the feather against her cheek. A deep breath and the rope slipped through her fingers, launching the arrow through the humid air and into the deer's hide. The animal cried, jolting alive as it rushed into the underbrush.

"No!" Lara snarled, quickly taking another arrow from her quiver as she sprinted after the beast.

Rough branches plucked at her tank top and scratched her skin as she navigated the naturally occurring obstacles of the jungle, the deer flashing into and out of her obscured line of sight.

In an instant, the world came to a standstill as the deer slowed to nurse its wound, Lara following its lead. Working quickly yet quietly, she clambered up, onto a nearby vantage point. Drawing her bow a second time, she fired an arrow, the blade lodging itself in the animal's neck. Moaning, the the deer attempted to run, but it quickly lost its strength and tumbled into the grass. Prepping a third arrow, Lara hurried up to the suffering animal. The projectile pierced the mammal's eye socket, killing it nearly instantly.

Sighing with relief, Lara set her bow in the grass before carefully removing her arrows from the animal's hide. The last arrow caught on a bone and she tugged too hard, snapping the shaft in half. Angrily, she tossed the projectile aside before sliding the other two into her quiver. Slipping her bow onto her back, Lara took hold of the animal's antlers. She pulled with all her might, digging her boots into the dirt. The corpse moved a few inches before she gave up, letting go of the creature. She sighed, this time in frustration, as she crossed her arms, eying the practically perfect kill. Jonah and Roth would be able to move the deer back to the camp, she was sure of it. If only Roth had come with her! But instead, he had elected to stay behind so she could "get used to hunting alone".

A cold, metal barrel pressed itself against the back of her head and she froze instantly. A man spoke with a hefty southern accent, "Don't. Move."

Lara felt her breath quicken and her mind race. Was this one of Mathias' men? No, surely he would've shot her by now if that were the case. Unless...

"P-please, d-don't..." Lara stuttered, her figure trembling ever so slightly as she raised her arms in surrender.

"Who are you? Where's the rest of your group?" the man questioned impatiently, pressing the gun against her head.

"My name is Lara, Lara Croft!" she explained quickly, wincing as the barrel was forced against her head. "I'm a crew member of the _Endurance! _The rest of my crew isn't far from here! Please, we're starving..!"

"The _Endurance _a boat?" another, feminine voice inquired.

"Hush," the man hissed with a hint of annoyance, though he tried not to show it.

"Joel, this could be our chance!" the girl insisted.

"We have a boat!" Lara exclaimed quickly. "It isn't in working condition just yet, but we have a mechanic working on it right now! Please, I can take you there!"

"Nuh-ah, I don't think so," the man spoke matter-of-factly.

"Joel!" the girl exclaimed, somehow disgusted.

There was a long, tense pause before the man sighed, lowering his gun.

Slowly, cautiously, Lara turned to face them, first with her head, then with her body.

"It's alright," the man spoke calmly, sliding his revolver into its holster. "We ain't gonna hurt ya."

Lara lowered her arms, but her muscles remained tense, still shaken.

Joel was older, his hair half-way to gray and he looked as if he had recently taken quite the beating. The girl, on the other hand, was young, no older than sixteen, and aside from a scar above her left eye, she looked unscathed.

The girl looked up at Joel and back at Lara, wringing her hands together, "Well...this is awkward."

"What's your name?" Lara asked the girl nervously.

"Ellie," she answered with an uneasy smile.

"And Joel, right?" Lara searched for clarification in the man's eyes.

He only nodded ever so slightly before his eyes shifted to the deer. "That's a hell of a lotta food there, ain't it?"

A slight smirk appearing on her face, Lara nodded, glancing at the carcass, "Yeah, well, I was hoping I'd be able to take a break from hunting for a day or two. We have a cook in our group. I'm sure he'll be happy to see this guy. But...there's a problem. I can't really move it on my own."

"Joel's strong, we can help you," Ellie spoke excitedly.

Joel chuckled awkwardly, "I ain't that strong, Ellie."

"Sure you are!" Ellie smiled. "I'm sure the three of us could move it no problem!"

"Help me out and maybe I could convince the others to let you two stay with us? Maybe hitch a ride on our boat once it's up and running?" Lara suggested, though she wasn't too sure she could trust them.

"Well, thanks for the offer, but the food'll be good enough. Besides, we don't stay in one place for too long these days," Joel nodded slowly.

Ellie sighed but kept her comments to herself.

After another awkward pause, Joel spoke, "Well, come on, then. We ain't got all day."

It took them the better half of an hour to drag the deer through the thick underbrush, dodging trees and boulders, and into an opening. A slight slope brought them to a small, makeshift camp, where Lara's crew awaited her return.

Sam was the first to spot them, standing up and calling Lara's name. Alex and Jonah turned to face the new arrivals eagerly, but Reyes wasn't interested, offering only a glance before going back to her work on the nearby fishing boat's exterior. Roth was next to her, saying something that appeared to be important, though Lara had no way of knowing.

Once the deer carcass was within reasonable range of the campsite, Lara let go of the animal, gesturing for Joel and Ellie to do the same. Sam hurried over, pulling her best friend into an embrace. Alex walked over, adjusting his glasses with a finger, "Amazing job, Lara! I knew you had it in you."

Lara smiled, keeping an arm around Sam's shoulders as Jonah walked over, eying the deer, "You know, I'm more an expert on cooking fish, but I gotta say, it's going to be good to work with food again."

"So, Lara, who're your friends?" Sam inquired, a playfully suspicious smile on her face.

Lara offered an uncertain laugh and explained, "Well, this is Joel and Ellie. I met them in the woods. As you saw, they helped me bring the deer back."

Sam slipped away from Lara's arm, holding an open hand out to Joel, "I'm Samantha Nishimura, official documentary producer and translator of the _Endurance._"

Joel nodded respectfully but took a step back, away from Sam, "Good to meet ya."

Ellie stepped forward to take his place, shaking Sam's hand nervously, "I'm Ellie. Firefly, I suppose you could call me."

"Ooh, mysterious! I like it," Sam spoke with a raised eyebrow.

"Joel, Ellie, this is Alex Weiss, our technician, and Jonah Maiava, our cook," Lara introduced the others.

Joel offered a quick greeting with a hand as Jonah nodded to him and Ellie, "It's a pleasure to meet you two. I trust you will be staying for dinner?"

"Oh, that'd be awesome!" Ellie smiled. "I'm starving."

"I sort of already promised them their share of the deer," Lara admitted with a nervous smile.

Jonah laughed, "No harm done, Lara. But if we hope to feed everyone before nightfall, I should get to work."

The large, New Zealand man moved forward to grab the deer by the antlers. With a quick glance at Lara, Alex moved forward, offering to help Jonah with the deer. Politely declining the offer, Jonah single-handedly dragged the deer toward the pile of wood they had brought together prior to Lara's return.

"Who're they?" Joel asked, gesturing toward Roth and Reyes, who were still in the middle of a discussion.

"Oh, that's Conrad Roth and Joslin Reyes. Roth's our captain, and Reyes is our mechanic. If Reyes comes off as...rude, don't take it personally. She has...trust issues, I think," Lara explained.

Joel just nodded, eying the two with a stern look that was impossible to read.

Sam started walking toward a log that had been set aside like a sort of bench, motioning for Ellie to follow her, "Come on, Ellie, I wanna show you something."

"Ok," Ellie smiled curiously, hurrying to follow the young woman. Lara watched the two go, amused.

With a final word, Roth turned and approached the others, his hands on his belt, "Great work, Lara. See? I told you you could do it."

"Yeah, that you did," Lara replied shyly, rubbing her arm.

Turning to Joel, he spoke, "And I saw that you and your girl helped bring the deer back to us. You have my gratitude. The name's Roth."

Roth extended an open hand, which Joel glanced at but made no motion to take, "Joel. And we just wanted to share the food. We won't be bothering you folks for long."

Lowering his arm, Roth nodded, "As you wish. But please, we have plenty of room for capable men like you. I don't believe I caught your girl's name?"

"Ellie," Joel responded, avoiding eye contact. "And she ain't...she ain't my girl. She's just...someone I gotta look after."

Roth smirked, nodding, "I see. Well, feel free to stay as long as you'd like. Lara, may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Sure," Lara nodded before following Roth away from Joel and Alex. As they left, Alex turned to make conversation with the older man, though Joel clearly wasn't too interested.

"I don't like the look of that Joel," Roth spoke with a quiet yet stern voice. "After Mathias, what made you think it was a good idea to bring him here?"

"Joel and Ellie showed up together, it was both or neither. And besides they...nevermind. Look, they aren't with Mathias. I _know_ that. The Solarii don't keep kids around," Lara explained quickly.

"They what, Lara?" Roth questioned suspiciously.

Lara took a deep breath before answering carefully, "Joel jumped me. He put a gun to my head, I was scared! But Ellie convinced him to let me go, and I convinced them that I could help them. So, they helped me bring the deer back, and in return, I promised them a meal."

Roth sighed, shaking his head, "Can't exactly blame him for being on edge around here. Especially not with the girl to look after. Alright, but I want you to keep a close eye on him. I've dealt with men like him before. In a situation like this, they aren't good for much."

"Yeah, ok, Roth," Lara nodded.

"And Jos isn't happy about your bringing more people down here. Think you could smooth things out with her?" Roth wanted to know.

Lara sighed, lowering her gaze, "Well, I can try."

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he smiled, "That's all I ask. After that, you should rest. You deserve it."

With a pat on the back, Roth left to rejoin the others. Lara eyed him for a moment longer before taking a deep breath and moving toward Reyes. The mechanic was using a welder on the ship's exterior and hardly noticed when Lara stepped up next to her.

"Reyes?" Lara asked after a brief moment of silence.

Turning the welder off and lowering her arm, Reyes hissed, "What do _you_ want?"

"Roth told me you weren't happy with me," Lara explained hesitantly, holding her hands behind her back.

"No shit I'm not," Reyes growled without looking at Lara. "Who the hell are you to bring more people to our camp? Don't you remember what happened the last time you introduced someone to us?"

"You can't honestly believe that that was my fault! How was I supposed to know Mathias would kidnap Sam?" Lara retorted in disbelief.

"Look, all I know is that you tend to bring misfortune to those around you. It happened to Grim, it happened to Steph, and it happened to Sam. I don't want to be next," Reyes growled before going back to her work.

Lara sighed once more before returning to the others. Jonah was working into the deer's carcass with a meat cleaver, carefully skinning the flesh. Joel watched him with his arms crossed as Roth spoke to him and Alex. Lara caught Alex eying her, but he quickly diverted his gaze. Sam was showing an astounded Ellie a video on her favorite camera. Moving to take a seat beside Sam, Lara leaned forward to see the screen more clearly. It was the video that Sam had recorded when she and Lara first set eyes upon the _Endurance_.

"Whoa!" Ellie exclaimed in disbelief as she watched the small screen with wide eyes. "I didn't know ships got _that_ big! Joel, you _gotta_ see this!"

An amused Lara turned to Joel, who chuckled awkwardly, "No, thanks, Ellie. I've seen plenty of ships in my day."

"Man!" Ellie shook her head, clearly still amazed. "I wish I could be on a ship like that!"

"You've really never seen a ship of that size before?" Lara inquired.

Ellie looked at her for a moment, surprised, as if she were not the odd one out in this situation, "No."

"Ellie, how long have you been stranded here, exactly?" Lara inquired carefully.

"What do you mean?" Ellie tilted her head, confused.

"You know, how long have you been on this island?" Lara reworded her question. "We've only been here for a few days."

"Oh. Honestly, I didn't even know we were _on_ an island, so I guess that I've been here...all my life," Ellie answered, looking about uneasily.

Sam paused the video on her camera, turning to the younger girl, "Wait a minute, how old _are_ you?"

"Fourteen," Ellie answered, turning to look her in the eye, confused as to why her age mattered.

"Interesting..." Sam muttered, eying Ellie suspiciously. "Did you come here with Mathias, by chance?"

"Huh?" Ellie stuttered, startled. "N-no. I don't know a Mathias."

"Oh, Sam, not you, too," Lara moaned, elbowing her friend's arm.

Sam raised her head as if to come off as stuck-up, shrugging, "I was just making sure."

"Who's Mathias?" Ellie wanted to know.

"Don't worry about it," Lara assured her. "He's just an old creep."

"Oh," was all Ellie said in response.

Joel eyed Ellie as she said something to the two women that he couldn't hear. The two looked harmless enough, but he wasn't the type to take any chances.

"But that's enough about me," Roth raised his voice, noticing Joel's lack of attention. "Where are you from?"

Sighing, Joel turned to face the man, "Texas. I don't tell much else."

Roth eyed him suspiciously, "Well, to each his own. It's not like it's any of my business, anyway."

"No, it ain't," Joel spoke matter-of-factly.

"Come on, man, lighten up," Alex spoke quickly to Joel, sensing the tension between the two men. "You act like we just spit in your cereal."

"Well, I just reckoned you would understand that it can be hard to trust folks nowadays," Joel explained defensively.

Roth chuckled, lowering his gaze as he placed his hands on his hips, "You know, I was just thinking the same thing."

"Is that the sound of a friendship being born I hear?" Alex inquired jokingly.

"I wouldn't go that far, kid," Joel offered a weak smirk. "Trust takes time."

"Well, it seems to me like we have plenty of time," Alex countered. "Until Reyes fixes the boat, in fact. And then some."

"Alex, it's quite alright," Roth assured the young man with a hand and a warm smile.

Joel looked down at the dirt, kicking at something only he could see before raising his gaze to meet Roth's eyes, "You know, there _is_ one thing I've been meaning to ask you. The two of you. Your group here...it's a good size. And you want to fix up that boat and sail outta here?"

Roth eyed him curiously, "Yes."

"Well, let's say that this mechanic of yours, Reyes, fixes up that there boat. Where are you gonna go?" Joel inquired.

Roth looked at him for a moment, surprised, "We'll go home, of course. Back to England."

Joel stared at him dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open ever so slightly as if he were debating saying something or not.

Before a word left his tongue, a burst of gunfire rang out, followed by another, then two more. All four bursts quit before an explosion pounded and more bursts sounded.

Lara stood quickly, watching the treeline in the general direction of the sounds, "That sounds close!"

Reyes hurried over to them, panicked, "What the hell is going on?"

"Mathias must've found more victims," Roth guessed, moving to grab his rifle, which was propped up against a crude shelter Sam had attempted to build.

"Roth, no!" Reyes hissed.

"I'll go!" Lara offered, stepping forward. "I'll check out what's going on."

"I'll go with," Alex offered.

Lara stopped him with a hand, "No! We don't need anyone else getting hurt."

Ellie hurried over, the 90mm Joel had allowed her to carry clutched in her hands.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Joel questioned her.

"I gotta help, Joel! I'm not letting Lara go on her own!" Ellie explained quickly, annoyance heavy in her tone.

"Like hell you are!" Joel spat.

"Joel!" Ellie exclaimed, annoyance turning to aggression.

"I'll go with Lara, make sure she don't get shot," Joel told her calmly, pulling his revolver from its holster at his side. Under his breath, he added, "Or bit."

Roth eyed him quickly, accepting his decision. Turning to Lara, he spoke, "Lara-"

She cut him off, "I know. I'll be careful."

"Don't trust anyone," Roth finished his sentence gravely.

Lara nodded nervously as Joel started toward the treeline. Drawing her bow and an arrow, Lara rushed after him.

Animals ranging from small rodents to large lizards scurried about as the duo reached the treeline. Lara took point, circling around a bush. The gunfire only intensified as they moved through the forest. Before long, the unsuppressed chaos became deafening. The cries of men could be heard occasionally, but they were mostly drowned out by gunfire.

It was mere minutes before Lara spotted the flash of a muzzle. Motioning for Joel to keep low, she moved to hide behind a bush, her bow at the ready. Men in bright red tank tops and bandanas were behind a fence, firing at a single man, who was crouched behind a rock. The man was dressed in a bright blue t-shirt. Somehow, Lara didn't think the colors were a coincidence.

Silently, Lara and Joel watched the firefight, unsure of who was good and who was bad, or whether either of the sides was either. The blue was outnumbered, and yet he managed to kill two reds before a bullet skinned his arm. It drew blood, but the wound was no where near fatal. The blue lit a molotov, igniting the remaining reds on fire. The two screamed and thrashed, but eventually fell to the ground, motionless. The blue spun, his assault rifle at the ready as he scanned the area. Once the fire died and everything returned to silence, the man lowered his gun, shouting to someone not even he could see. A moment later, two young adults appeared from the underbrush, both of them unarmed.

"Holy shit, Jason!" one of them, a young man with a dark blue shirt, exclaimed, staring at the charred corpses.

"Don't look. You don't need to see that," the man with the gun spoke, grabbing the younger man by the arm.

"Jason, why is this happening?" the other figure, a young woman, demanded. She was on the verge of tears, clearly terrified.

He put a hand on her shoulder, too, comforting her, "Everything's gonna be alright, Liza. Trust me. I'll get you two back to the Rakyat. They'll keep you safe."

"And what about you?" Liza wanted to know, sniffling. "Are you really gonna stay here?"

Jason stared at her for a long moment before speaking, "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Seem friendly enough," Joel muttered, though he wasn't too sure.

"Did he say 'Rakyat'?" Lara murmured. "I've never heard of them."

"Maybe they're some of that Mathias guy's men," Joel offered.

"Or maybe they're enemies of our enemies," Lara countered.

The two looked at each other for a long moment before Lara started raising herself up, out from behind the bush. Joel grabbed her arm, pulling her back, "Get down!"

"Wha-?!" Lara exclaimed in surprise before Joel forced a palm against her mouth. The roar of an engine reverberated through the forest as a trail of dust appeared a few hundred meters down the road. A red pick-up truck, complete with a fully automatic, mounted machine gun, sped in front of the cloud, toward the murdered reds.

Once Lara saw, Joel let her go. He immediately regretted the decision as Lara stood, cupped her hands on either side of her mouth, and shouted, "Look out!"

Jason turned, immediately spotting the incoming truck. Pushing his allies toward the nearest underbrush, he hissed, "Go! Hide!"

Slamming the stock of his assault rifle against his right shoulder, Jason moved to stand in the middle of the dirt road. Carefully, he aimed at the truck.

"Jesus," Joel muttered, peering out from behind his cover. "He's crazy."

"We have to help him!" Lara declared, readying her bow.

Joel sighed before sliding his hunting rifle out of its holster on his back and readying the scope.

Without warning, Jason fired a quick burst, crackling the truck's driver-side windshield. Blood sprayed against the spider web as the truck swerved, crashing into a tree with unexpected force. Three men scrambled out of the truck as a fourth pivoted the machine gun toward Jason.

Lara released the string on her bow, launching the arrow directly into the gunner's skull. He didn't have time to scream before his body fell limp. Joel fired his rifle, the bullet piercing straight through one of the men's throats. Blood gushed from his neck as a hand went up and the body went down. Jason fired a longer burst, throwing a red against the side of the truck, his body jerking sporadically. The last man turned to Jason, firing a quick burst before the blue shot and killed him.

The last of the reds hit the ground and an eerie silence fell upon the forest. Likely listening for another engine, Jason stood in the middle of the path, frozen. A moment passed before he lowered his gun and shouted to his allies, "It's alright, it's done."

Shyly, the two stepped out from behind the underbrush, scanning their surroundings.

Jason then turned in Lara and Joel's general direction, shouting, "Appreciate the help!"

Lara stepped out, into the open, sliding her bow back around her body, "No problem."

Joel was right behind her, but he kept his hunting rifle at the ready, albeit pointed downward.

"You're not Rakyat," Jason commented, moving toward them. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lara Croft. This is Joel. We heard the gunshots and came to see what was going on," Lara explained quickly.

"Pretty brave of you two," Jason sniffed. "How'd you know who to shoot?"

Lara gestured toward Liza and the other young man, "You were protecting them. We have...enemies on this island. And our enemies would never protect those who can't protect themselves."

"I see," Jason nodded slowly, eying her up and down. "Your enemies wear red shirts?"

"Not all the time," Lara shook her head nervously, rubbing her arm.

"Blue?" Jason continued.

"Look, we don't know a damn thing about your red vs. blue conflict, alright? We're just trying to survive," Joel growled, taking a step forward.

Lara stepped in front of him, laughing uneasily, "What he means to say is that we're looking to get off the island, and we heard you mention a 'Rakyat'. If that's a group you're a part of, we could use your help."

"Do you have a boat?" Liza inquired suddenly from behind Jason, stepping forward.

"Hey, let me handle this," Jason told her calmly, giving her a light push backward.

Lara smirked, turning to look up at Joel, "Sound familiar?"

Joel offered a feeble laugh, scratching his beard. Stepping forward, he spoke, "Let's say we do have a boat. So what?"

"You could get us out of here!" Liza exclaimed with a half-smile, trying to tell if Joel was messing with her or not.

"W-we just wanna get off this island, alright?" the younger man stuttered.

An odd smile came to Jason's face, "The Rakyat has some tools we could lend you. Food, too. Weapons, ammo, clothing, meds, you name it, it's yours. In exchange, I want you to take these two as far away from here as possible."

"What about you?" Lara wanted to know.

Jason's eyes suddenly turned grave as he stared into hers. There was a long, tense moment before he asked, "So? We have a deal?"

Joel shied away, looking to Lara, who eyed Jason suspiciously. A moment later, she stretched out an open hand, "Sounds like a deal to me."

Jason shook her hand.

Jason Brody was a young Rakyat warrior. Riley Brody was his younger brother, and Liza Snow his girlfriend. Potentially his ex-girlfriend. They had been on spring break when a band of pirates led by a crazed man named Vaas kidnapped them. Jason had freed the two of them with the help of the Rakyat, and now he was working to get them back home. When asked about what _he_ planned to do, he kept quiet.

Joel, toting Jason's assault rifle, led the three, plus Lara, back to his group. Night was approaching, and Jonah had started a fire. About the flames huddled the remainder of their group.

Sam was the first to spot them through the lens of her camcorder, "They've returned!"

Ellie, sitting beside her, stood, awkwardly exclaiming, "Joel!"

"Easy, Ellie," Joel assured her with a nod. "I ain't dead just yet."

Reyes spotted the newcomers, hissing in Lara's direction, "_More_ strangers? Girl, do you _know_ how dangerous people can be?"

Lara opened her mouth to respond, but Joel spoke first, "It was my idea, ma'am."

Reyes snarled, "Well, next time, you can keep your ideas to yourself, old man."

"Nice to meet you, too," Liza muttered, eying the woman up and down.

Roth moved toward the five, his arms crossed, "Well, it looks as if our little group is growing quickly."

"You can all relax," Jason spoke. "I won't be staying long, and neither Liza nor Riley pose any threat to you whatsoever. No offense, guys. You take care of them, and I promised Miss Croft here supplies."

"Jason's with a group known as the Rakyat," Lara explained excitedly. "They have tools, food, water, meds, anything we need. And they're willing to share as long as we take Liza and Riley to safety once we get our boat up and running."

"_If _we get it up and running," Reyes snapped. "At this rate, I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"Oh, come on, Reyes, it's not that bad. We get a few of their tools and we're golden," Alex countered.

Reyes smirked, "I appreciate the enthusiasm."

"No sense worrying ourselves pale now," Jonah spoke. "It's time to eat."

It was decided early into the meal that the deer had been well prepared, despite Jonah's inexperience concerning venison. The three newest newcomers stayed clumped together while Ellie drifted toward Sam and Lara. Joel kept an eye on her, but he quickly learned that he didn't mind striking conversations with Roth. Alex and Reyes kept to themselves, though the former of the two tended to keep an eye on Lara. Jonah stood about the fire, entertaining the occasional listener with a story and providing everyone else with more food.

Sam began the meal by explaining to Ellie the story of Himiko, the Sun Queen. Slowly, the conversation degraded into an exchange of basic questions that primarily consisted of peoples' favorite food, movies, and activities.

"Ok, here's a good one," Sam spoke, her mouth still half-full of deer meat. "Once this is all over, what is the _first_ thing you're gonna do?"

Ellie eyed her, somewhat confused, as Lara brushed hair away from her eyes, "Take a shower, honestly. I feel so filthy..."

Sam smirked, "I'll probably upload my footage onto my computer. It'll make for one heck of a documentary. Ellie?"

The younger girl looked from her to Lara, then back to her, "What do you mean 'once this is all over'?"

Sam turned and looked at her, herself confused, "Once we get off this island and go back home."

"I've been meanin' to ask ya'll," Joel spoke up, turning toward them. "Where, exactly, do you think we are?"

"On the island of Yamatai," Sam answered, even more confused than before. "Just south of Japan."

"Wait, what?" Ellie inquired, startled. "Japan? We came from Boston."

"Massachusetts?" Lara gasped. "You mean, you took a boat here, right?"

"No," Ellie shook her head.

Joel stared at Sam and Lara for a moment before standing, "Ellie, I reckon it's about time for us to retire."

"Joel?" Ellie questioned, turning to look up at him.

"Come on, Ellie," Joel gestured for her to follow as he left the circle.

"Ok," Ellie nodded, following his lead. "It was nice talking to you two."

Sam and Lara nodded as the two moved over to where they had set aside a couple blankets. Sam turned to Lara and whispered, "Well, that was strange."

"They must be delusional," Lara muttered, eying the two as they spoke privately. "Who knows how long they've been here."

Sam stood, grasping Lara's hand, "I'm tired. Let's go."

Lara nodded slowly, allowing Sam to pull her up, onto her feet and away to their tent. The tent that had been crudely set aside for the two wasn't much to look at, but it provided them with as much privacy as possible. Inside, they had a couple blankets, some books, Lara's personal journal, and a candle, which hadn't been lit.

As they entered the tent, Sam set her camera on a small nightstand and removed her jacket. Lara eyed her curiously, "You don't plan on sleeping just yet, do you?"

Undoing her belt, Sam turned to face Lara rather suggestively, "No, I don't. And I hope you don't, either."

Sam moved forward, pulling Lara into an embrace and a kiss. Lara pulled away after a long moment, "At least let me write in my journal first."

"I don't think so," Sam smiled, pulling Lara down, onto one of their blankets.

Sam, below Lara, began unbuckling her partner's pants. Lara blushed, leaning toward Sam, "The others will hear us."

"Let them," Sam whispered, removing Lara's pants. Sliding her hand along Lara's skin, Sam pulled her partner downward, into another kiss. As soon as their lips disconnected, their eyes met and Lara's breath became heavy. "I love you, Lara."

"I love you, too, Sam."

Content, Sam spun, throwing Lara onto her back and herself above her partner. Their eyes locked while Lara did her best to keep quiet. Once more, their lips met.

Lara's eyes shot wide open as she heard a harsh and sudden shuffling noise outside their tent. Half-naked, she sat up in her crude bed, Sam still asleep at her side. Quickly and as quietly as possible, Lara pulled on her clothes and grabbed her pistol. Taking one last look at Sam, who was just beginning to stir, Lara stepped out of the tent, her 90mm at the ready.

To her surprise and horror, a pale, naked man was above Roth near their campfire, his hands grasped tightly about Roth's throat. The older man tried with all his might to fight the crazed man off, but his strength was inferior.

Raising her pistol, Lara fired a single bullet that shredded through the man's chest, killing him nearly instantly. As Roth pushed the corpse aside and got back to his feet, the rest of the camp woke up, confused shouts and harsh curses coming from every direction.

A group of other naked men appeared from the treeline, dashing toward them with surprising speed. Roth took his pistol, firing and killing one of them. Lara shot and killed another as Joel scrambled for his gun and Jason hurried toward the raiders with a machete. Reyes, toting an assault rifle, opened fire. A single man lobbed a rock her way, smacking her in the head and throwing her to the sand. Lara fired once more before she hurried toward the woman, her gun still ready. A naked woman appeared from behind a rock, swinging a club in Lara's direction. The thick wood cracked Lara in the face, throwing her to the ground. The woman moved to hit her again, but Lara was faster, shooting her assailant in the chest. A crazed man appeared out of nowhere, stomping her face into the sand. Lara felt the pain, but was unable to react as the world around her faded to black.


End file.
